Linux has a well-deserved reputation for running well on less-powerful hardware than it takes to run Windows, and articles like How To Revive An Old PC With Linux offer lots of good advice. It's a great, no-cost way to get started with Linux. And here's what you'll need next: a great list of tiny, ultra-light-weight applications that will give you maximum computing for minimum footprint on your old PC.In his article on how to revive an old PC with Linux, author Ivan Schneider recommends installing Ubuntu Linux, and gives you plenty of tips and advice to help you get the job done, but an operating system doth not a useful computer make. By sheerest coincidence, I just ran across a great list of very light-weight applications to install on Ubuntu.

The list appears on the Linux on Desktop blog, posted last Friday by Ambuj Varshney.

The list of 13 apps includes a nice cross-section of productivity applications -- Web browsers, spreadsheets, document editors, audio and video players and codecs, an e-mail and news client, and more.

Varshney's blog, aimed at Linux newbies, includes other good stuff, too, like posts about running Windows 3.11 under Linux, playing classic games, and another good list -- 13 Things to do immediately after installing Ubuntu.